Protect Your Business Against Summer Pests

While summer can bring with it the delights of long, hot days, it can also attract plenty of unwanted guests as well.

Businesses, just like householders, need to be on their guard against an influx of insect pests over the summer months. They can damage your goods and products and your good reputation very quickly. If you fail to prevent and deal with any problems, you could fall foul of health and safety law and even end up in court.

Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions are experts in commercial pest control, providing services to businesses in Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Ipswich and Stowmarket, Colchester, Clacton, Witham, Manningtree and many other locations. Here we look at some of the principal pests that businesses should be wary of over the hotter months, and a few simple steps you can take to help deter them.

Cluster Flies

House flies are more of a risk during summer because it is the peak time for their reproductive cycle. Flies can spread a host of diseases, including salmonella and other types of food poisoning as well as dysentery and typhoid, so it is vital for food businesses in particular to guard against them. While businesses in the food sector are at most risk, any business which creates man-made or natural waste, which the house fly feeds on, should be careful. You should make sure your bins have tight-fitting lids and that they are cleaned out regularly. It is important to destroy these potential breeding grounds for the eggs, and not just any adults you see flying around. Expert fly control may be needed if your business has an infestation of cluster flies.

Wasps

Like flies, these could pose a threat to any business which is involved in food storage and preparation. Pubs with beer gardens and outside tables are also likely to attract these unwanted visitors. They are attracted by many kinds of food and sugary drinks, but dustbin waste and animal carcasses will do just as well. They are generally more aggressive and more likely to sting than the bee, particularly the brighter and striped varieties, and summer is the time when they are at their hungriest.

Wasps can nest near to businesses and this can present a hazard. There are steps your business can take to make sure it doesn’t attract these insects. You should keep all food-related rubbish in secure bins, and setting wasp traps is another option. If you have a wasp problem or think there is a nest nearby, you will need to call in the services of a professional wasp control company.

Ants

The most common species of ant are the Black Garden Ant and Roger’s Ant. When temperatures rise, they are often attracted indoors by food. The bigger problem for businesses are Pharoah’s Ants, which are a different type and spread themselves over a wider area. These can be a problem, particularly in the early summer in large, centrally heated buildings such as hospitals or office blocks. You will probably need professional ant control treatment to get rid of them.

Fruit Flies

These are more of an issue in late summer, because they feed on fruit which is ripening. Bars and restaurants are particularly at risk. This type of fly feeds on fruit and vegetables which cannot be stored in the fridge, so you will have to be careful where you keep your bananas and potatoes, for example. They are also attracted to sweet drinks, so make sure areas like restaurant tables are regularly wiped down and any spillages mopped up.

Bed Bugs

These are principally a problem for hotels but can also affect other businesses. The bed bug is transferred from place to place by people’s luggage and clothing or by outside contractors and laundry services. There are around 90 species of this particular type of insect, and they feed on human blood, usually while the victim is asleep in bed.

The best way you can avoid bed bugs is to make sure that rooms are regularly cleaned, preferably deep vacuumed, and any rubbish taken outside. The bedding should be washed regularly on a high heat. However, if you do get an infestation, furniture may have to be dismantled, and neighbouring rooms treated too. They can be hard to get rid of, so you will need to call in an expert for professional bed bug treatment.

Cockroaches

A common pest businesses are likely to get bothered by is the German cockroach. Because they find it difficult to survive outdoors in the British climate, you can quite often find these oval-shaped insects in and around the heating ducts and boiler rooms of large buildings such as hospitals, bakeries, and hotels and restaurant kitchens. Sinks, stoves and pipes are particularly fertile grounds for them too.

Businesses should make sure that windows and doors are well sealed so they can’t get in and that any food preparation areas are kept clean and tidy. If they contaminate food it can lead to salmonella and gastroenteritis. You can buy insecticides to get rid of them but calling in professional experts is a better idea.

If you think your business has a pest problem, Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions can deal with all sorts of insect, rodent and bird infestations. Our commercial pest control service covers companies and households in Felixstowe, Ipswich Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Newmarket, Harwich and many other locations. Click on the link to contact us.